1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hermetically sealed glass packages that are suitable to protect thin film devices that are sensitive to the ambient environment.
2. Technical Background
Light emitting devices have been the subject of considerable research in recent years. Organic light emitting devices (OLED) are of particular interest because of their use and potential use in ac wide variety of electroluminescent devices. A single OLED, for example, can be used in a discrete light emitting device, or an array of OLEDs can be used in lighting applications or flat-panel display applications, such as OLED displays. Traditional OLED displays are known as being very bright and having a good color contrast and wide viewing angle. However, traditional OLED displays and in particular the electrodes and organic layers located therein are susceptible to degradation resulting from interaction with oxygen and moisture leaking into an OLED display from the ambient environment. It is well known that the life of an OLED display can be significantly increased if the electrodes and organic layers within an OLED display are hermetically sealed from the ambient environment. Unfortunately, it has historically been very difficult to develop a sealing process to hermetically seal a light emitting display.
Some of the factors that made it difficult to properly seal a light emitting display are briefly mentioned below:
The hermetic seal should provide a barrier for oxygen and water.
The width of the hermetic seal should be minimal so that it does not have an adverse effect on size of a light emitting display.
The temperature generated during the sealing process should be sufficiently low as to not damage the materials, for example, electrodes and organic layers, within a light emitting display.
The gases released during the sealing process, if any, should be compatible with the materials within a light emitting display.
The hermetic seal should enable electrical connections, for example, thin-film chromium, to enter a light emitting display.
There is a need to address the aforementioned problems and other shortcomings associated with the traditional seals and the traditional approaches for sealing light emitting displays. These needs and other needs are satisfied by the hermetic sealing technology of the present invention.